05/12/2014
Sixteen-year-old tomboy Charlie Reynolds undergoes a summer of soul-searching and growth in West’s (Split Second) fourth book for teens. Raised with plenty of male influences—three brothers, her next door neighbor Braden, and a widowed police officer father—Charlie is a star athlete and well-protected from the outside world, especially when it comes to dating. Recently, Charlie has been crushing on Braden, and she’s also getting attention for her looks at her new job at a clothing store. In short, Charlie’s sense of identity is in upheaval, her intense workouts aren’t sufficient relief, and her constant nightmares about her mother’s fatal car accident are stirring up repressed memories. Nightly, Charlie and Braden find solace in sneaking out to talk to each other (Braden’s father is drinking a lot), but Charlie fears that he will never see her as anything more than just a buddy. West builds enjoyable tension and absorbing chemistry between Charlie and Braden, and her depiction of growing up surrounded by brothers is thoroughly enjoyable. Ages 13–up. Agent: Michelle Wolfson, Wolfson Literary Agency. (July)
Sometimes it takes an insightful librarian, an enthusiastic bookseller, or the perfect blog post to sell a book and create a new YA reader. Other times, all it takes is one fantastically fun movie. With the release of The DUFF, the laugh-out-loud new teen movie loosely based on the book of the same name by […]
Confession: contemporary young adult romance has the most special place in my heart of all YA genres. It encompasses so much of what I love about reading (and writing) young adult as a whole—all the experiences of “firsts” and all the ups and downs that come with them. Some of them are sweet, some are […]